Rik Torfs
Encyclopedia
Henri Maria Dymphna André Laurent "Rik" Torfs (born 16 October 1956) is a Belgian
academic, media personality, and Christian Democratic and Flemish party politician.
and the University of Strasbourg
. He specialized in ecclesiastical or canon law
. He received his PhD in 1987 with a dissertation on the canonical concept of marriage. Torfs was lecturer at the Faculty of Canon Law in Leuven
. He became a full-time professor in 1996 and between 1994 to 2003, he served as Faculty President. He is a guest professor at the University of Stellenbosch, University of Paris
, University of Nijmegen, and University of Strasbourg
. In 2005 Torfs ran for rector at University of Leuven, losing to Marc Vervenne
. Vervenne did not serve a second term, and in 2008 Torfs announced he would not run for office again.
to protest the papal letter ordinatio sacerdotalis
which wanted to close the debate on allowing women into priesthood. He subsequently became one of the panel members of the show Canvas from 2002 to 2003. He began a column in De Standaard
called The Slippery Slope (Het Hellend Vlak).
In 2004 he gave a series of lectures with reflections on Rubens
and modern art in the St. Paul Church in Antwerp. In 2008 he was the guest speaker (alongside minister-president Kris Peeters
) on the yearly meeting of the Willem-Elsschot Society. In 2008 he was the guest speaker of the Bomans Society in the Netherlands
. He was the host of the Belgian Sports Personality of the Year
in 2009.
He later became a weekly columnist for Le Soir
from 2008 to 2009. Torfs was brought in several times as a guest on De Laatste Show (The Last Show) a talkshow on Eén
a public Dutch
TV station in Belgium
, owned by the VRT
. Torfs soon became a frequent guest on some of Flanders
' media's prime-time shows, including De Zevende Dag, Terzake, Zinzen, De Pappenheimers, Nachtwacht, Recht van Antwoord. In 2009 Torfs was a co-presenter with Siegfried Bracke
in a television program devoted to covering Belgian elections called De Stemming. Between 2007 and 2009, he had his own 'conversation' program at Canvas called Nooitgedacht (Never Thought), a series of 30 in-depth conversations with notable guests, including Wilfried Martens
, Guy Verhofstadt
, Louis Michel
, Philippe Claudel
, Kamagurka
and Liesbeth List
. Torfs was a one-man jury panel on De Slimste Mens ter Wereld (The Smartest Person on Earth), a Flemish
TV program produced by Woestijnvis
on Eén. Presented by movie director Erik Van Looy
, it features journalists, politicians and performers who are subjected to a daunting quiz. Torfs remarked on the questions, answers, contestants, or the presenter. Vlaamse Televisie Academie awarded it the Vlaamse Televisie Ster voor Beste Entertainmentprogramma. Torfs retired from the program in 2010.
Torfs has published on human rights, marriage and the benefits of forbearance. He is a formidable critic of the Catholic Church, the current Pope and his predecessor. He has been noted for his sharp criticism of the Holy See
, on Pope John Paul II
and his successor Benedictus XVI. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad
, he called canonization
a folkloric tradition.
After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council
on 19 November 2009, he offered the resignation of his government to King Albert II on 25 November 2009. A few hours later, the new government under Prime Minister Yves Leterme
was sworn in. On 22 April 2010, Leterme offered the resignation of his cabinet to the king after one of the coalition partners, the OpenVLD, withdrew from the government, and on 26 April 2010 King Albert officially accepted the resignation.
In May 2010 Torfs was offered the second position on the senate list of the Christian Democratic and Flemish
party (CD&V), next to Marianne Thyssen
and took it. CD&V is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party (Christelijke Volkspartij, CVP). It is a centrist Flemish party committed to Christian democracy
, with historic ties to both labour unionism (ACV) and corporative organization as UNIZO
and the Farmer's League.
The press has called Torfs one of the "white rabbits" of Belgian politics 2010. During an interview for De Zevende Dag, Torfs appeared wearing a tie with a white rabbit print on it, which prompted the nickname.
Torfs serves on the academic advisory board for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies
at Brigham Young University
and is a member of the board of experts at International Religious Liberty Association
. He is a former president and board member of the European Consortium for Church and State Research and founder and board member of the Working Group Nederlandstalige Canonisten (Dutch-speaking Canonists). He became a member of the Commission for Intercultural dialogue in 2005, , the Commissie ter invulling van de cursus maatschappelijke oriëntatie in 2006, and Les Assises de l’Interculturalité in 2009. He serves as an advisor to the government of Romania
regarding the protection of religious minorities.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
academic, media personality, and Christian Democratic and Flemish party politician.
Life and career
Torfs was born in Turnhout in the province of Antwerp. He attended the Sint-Gummaruscollege (Lier) and studied law at the Catholic University of LeuvenCatholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
and the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
. He specialized in ecclesiastical or canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
. He received his PhD in 1987 with a dissertation on the canonical concept of marriage. Torfs was lecturer at the Faculty of Canon Law in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
. He became a full-time professor in 1996 and between 1994 to 2003, he served as Faculty President. He is a guest professor at the University of Stellenbosch, University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, University of Nijmegen, and University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
. In 2005 Torfs ran for rector at University of Leuven, losing to Marc Vervenne
Marc Vervenne
Marc Vervenne is a Belgian theologian.From August 2005 till July 2009 he was the rector of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2005, he won the elections for new rector in the third round on Tuesday 24 May 2005 by beating Rik Torfs with 50,81% to 49,19%. Before becoming rector, he was...
. Vervenne did not serve a second term, and in 2008 Torfs announced he would not run for office again.
Journalism and media
Torfs comments on matters related to the Catholic Church. In 1994, he appealed to bishops to use their ius remonstrandiIus remonstrandi
In canon law, ius remonstrandi refers to the right in law to protest a Papal bull, edict or law.The right is usually reserved for a Catholic bishop or other high-ranking church official....
to protest the papal letter ordinatio sacerdotalis
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is an Apostolic Letter issued from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994, whereby the Pope expounds the teaching of the Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone." In its clear proclamation that "the Church has no...
which wanted to close the debate on allowing women into priesthood. He subsequently became one of the panel members of the show Canvas from 2002 to 2003. He began a column in De Standaard
De Standaard
De Standaard is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Corelio . Circulation was about 102.280 in 2007. It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Socialist Flemish daily De Morgen...
called The Slippery Slope (Het Hellend Vlak).
In 2004 he gave a series of lectures with reflections on Rubens
Rubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
and modern art in the St. Paul Church in Antwerp. In 2008 he was the guest speaker (alongside minister-president Kris Peeters
Kris Peeters
Kris Peeters is a Flemish politician and member of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party who is currently Minister-President of Flanders, the northern region of Belgium....
) on the yearly meeting of the Willem-Elsschot Society. In 2008 he was the guest speaker of the Bomans Society in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He was the host of the Belgian Sports Personality of the Year
Belgian Sports Personality of the Year
The Belgian Sports Personality of the Year is an annual sports award given in January by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad to the greatest personality in sports. For this award, not only athletes qualify but everyone who's involved in sports A person can only win this award once in his...
in 2009.
He later became a weekly columnist for Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
from 2008 to 2009. Torfs was brought in several times as a guest on De Laatste Show (The Last Show) a talkshow on Eén
EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
a public Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
TV station in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, owned by the VRT
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
. Torfs soon became a frequent guest on some of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
' media's prime-time shows, including De Zevende Dag, Terzake, Zinzen, De Pappenheimers, Nachtwacht, Recht van Antwoord. In 2009 Torfs was a co-presenter with Siegfried Bracke
Siegfried Bracke
Siegfried Bracke is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to the N-VA. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 2010. Before his political career he had a long career as a journalist, working for the Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep.-Notes:...
in a television program devoted to covering Belgian elections called De Stemming. Between 2007 and 2009, he had his own 'conversation' program at Canvas called Nooitgedacht (Never Thought), a series of 30 in-depth conversations with notable guests, including Wilfried Martens
Wilfried Martens
Wilfried Martens is a Belgian politician. He was born in Sleidinge . Martens was the 44th Prime Minister of Belgium from 3 April 1979 to 6 April 1981 and 17 December 1981 to 7 March 1992....
, Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
, Louis Michel
Louis Michel
Louis H. O. Ch. Michel is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a Member of the European Parliament...
, Philippe Claudel
Philippe Claudel
Philippe Claudel , is a French writer and film director.Claudel was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle. In addition to his writing, Claudel is a Professor of Literature at the University of Nancy....
, Kamagurka
Kamagurka
Kamagurka, aka Luc Zeebroek, is a Belgian cartoonist, playwright and television producer, known for the absurd nature of his work. He has a big variety of comic figures, but "Bert en Bobje" are the most well-known...
and Liesbeth List
Liesbeth List
Elisabeth Dorathea List, generally known as Liesbeth List is a Dutch singer, stage actress and television personality. She became popular during the 1960s and frequently collaborated with Ramses Shaffy...
. Torfs was a one-man jury panel on De Slimste Mens ter Wereld (The Smartest Person on Earth), a Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
TV program produced by Woestijnvis
Woestijnvis
Woestijnvis is an independent Flemish television production company.-History:The name of the company refers to a famous mistake of a quiz-candidate in the Flemish version of Wheel of Fortune: the remaining letters were W . . ST . . NV . S and somebody answered "WOESTIJNVIS" , the correct answer...
on Eén. Presented by movie director Erik Van Looy
Erik Van Looy
Erik Ludovicus Maria Van Looy is a Belgian film director.In Flanders he is also known as a television presenter .His most famous movies are:*Ad Fundum *Shades...
, it features journalists, politicians and performers who are subjected to a daunting quiz. Torfs remarked on the questions, answers, contestants, or the presenter. Vlaamse Televisie Academie awarded it the Vlaamse Televisie Ster voor Beste Entertainmentprogramma. Torfs retired from the program in 2010.
Torfs has published on human rights, marriage and the benefits of forbearance. He is a formidable critic of the Catholic Church, the current Pope and his predecessor. He has been noted for his sharp criticism of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, on Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and his successor Benedictus XVI. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad
Het Nieuwsblad
Het Nieuwsblad is a Belgian newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports.-Mission statement:...
, he called canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
a folkloric tradition.
Politics
In October 2009 Torfs told the press that he wanted to bring together people from all walks of life into a new political forum for innovation. He started an informal Think Tank which, if successful could evolve into a new party for the elections of 2011. However, circumstances in Belgian politics forced new elections scheduled for June 2010.After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council
President of the European Council
The President of the European Council is a principal representative of the European Union on the world stage, and the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council...
on 19 November 2009, he offered the resignation of his government to King Albert II on 25 November 2009. A few hours later, the new government under Prime Minister Yves Leterme
Yves Leterme
Yves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Flemish Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party , and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium.Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008...
was sworn in. On 22 April 2010, Leterme offered the resignation of his cabinet to the king after one of the coalition partners, the OpenVLD, withdrew from the government, and on 26 April 2010 King Albert officially accepted the resignation.
In May 2010 Torfs was offered the second position on the senate list of the Christian Democratic and Flemish
Christian Democratic and Flemish
The Christian Democratic and Flemish is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party...
party (CD&V), next to Marianne Thyssen
Marianne Thyssen
Marianne Leonie Petrus Thyssen is a Belgian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Flanders with the CD&V/N-VA, a Vice-Chairwoman of the European People's Party and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.On 15 May 2008 she was...
and took it. CD&V is a political party of Belgium, formerly called Christian People's Party (Christelijke Volkspartij, CVP). It is a centrist Flemish party committed to Christian democracy
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
, with historic ties to both labour unionism (ACV) and corporative organization as UNIZO
UNIZO
UNIZO is a Belgian organization of Self-Employed and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises ; it is mainly situated in the Flemish region of the Kingdom of Belgium. UNIZO wants to give SMEs a voice from the local up to the European level...
and the Farmer's League.
The press has called Torfs one of the "white rabbits" of Belgian politics 2010. During an interview for De Zevende Dag, Torfs appeared wearing a tie with a white rabbit print on it, which prompted the nickname.
Torfs serves on the academic advisory board for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies
International Center for Law and Religion Studies
The International Center for Law and Religion Studies, part of J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, was founded in the late 1990s to promote freedom of religion and study the relations between governments and religious organizations. A main project of the Center is hosting an...
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and is a member of the board of experts at International Religious Liberty Association
International Religious Liberty Association
The International Religious Liberty Association is a non-sectarian and non-political organization promoting religious freedom. It was originally organised by the Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in 1893 to campaign for religious freedom for all when the danger of restrictions from blue laws...
. He is a former president and board member of the European Consortium for Church and State Research and founder and board member of the Working Group Nederlandstalige Canonisten (Dutch-speaking Canonists). He became a member of the Commission for Intercultural dialogue in 2005, , the Commissie ter invulling van de cursus maatschappelijke oriëntatie in 2006, and Les Assises de l’Interculturalité in 2009. He serves as an advisor to the government of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
regarding the protection of religious minorities.
Selected bibliography
- Het huwelijk als levensgemeenschap. Een kerkrechtelijke benadering, Leuven, Acco, 1990.
- Mensen en rechten in de Kerk, Leuven, Davidsfonds, 1993.
- De kardinaal heeft verdriet, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2002.
- Voor het zinken de kerk uit, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2004.
- Religie, vrede en onvrede, Gent, Larcier, 2005.
- Lof der lankmoedigheid, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2006.
- Het hellend vlak, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2008.
- Wie gaat er dan de wereld redden?, Van Halewyck, 2009. (LiberalesLiberalesLiberales is an independent liberal thinktank , located in Ghent, Flanders, Belgium. The organization promotes progressive liberalism and supports individual freedom, justice, a certain degree of self-government and human rights. It also supports responsibility, civil liberties, and solidarity...
prize winner 2009)
External links
- Rik Torfs official site (Dutch)
- Rik Torfs (Henri) faculty page via Katholieke Universiteit LeuvenKatholieke Universiteit LeuvenThe Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
(Dutch)